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This tutorial will cover the relationship between operating systems, inter‐computer communications, and file transfers.

Electronic document delivery is a concept which promises to solve end‐user problems in retrieving the primary information referenced to in bibliographical databases. This article describes an approach to electronic document delivery which gradually evolved at Tilburg University over the past two years, leading to the development of a system called Ariadne. First of all, a pragmatic description of electronic document delivery is developed as a basis for a generation model of electronic document delivery systems. This model is illustrated with short references to existing systems and leads to the identification of global requirements for an Ariadne‐like system. Special attention will be paid to existing and developing standards in this field, notably the work of the Group on Electronic Document Interchange (GEDI). The remainder of the article addresses the general model of Ariadne, currently under development at Tilburg University. The article concludes with some strategic issues for libraries and publishers in this field, and a short look into the future.

Well over a hundred years ago it was said that: “Libraries are conducted for the many, not for the few... it is of paramount importance that the means of general information should be so diffused that the largest number of persons should be induced to read and understand questions going down to the very foundation of social order”

In 1974, citations to the literature of an earlier year, say 1966, will be to a relatively small number of ‘enduring’ articles, the remainder having been forgotten. The currently cited literature of a particular growing subject will consist of the ‘enduring’ literature of earlier years, and the recent literature some of which will endure and some of which will ‘die’. There willl be more citations to recent literature because there is more of it. A trend towards multiple authorship may be reducing the growth rate of published articles.

Mr J.M. Craddock (Meteorological Office, Bracknell) said that the 130 or so members of the World Meteorological Organization were presently planning improved systems for the collection and transmission of meteorological data, under the general title of the Western Weather Watch, and for the storage and retrieval of this data for research, exchange and other purposes. The current world stock of data digitized for computer use exceeded 1012 decimal digits, divided among many centres, with a large annual increment. The problems of exchanging and manipulating these data were to be reduced by the adoption by WMO of the recommended standard type of magnetic tape and recommended formats for the exchange, etc., of nearly all types of data. The problem of a system of cataloguing and classification suitable for world use was becoming urgent, both for data and, to a lesser extent, for the increasing stream of meteorological literature. The three speakers had given excellent and lucid accounts of the work which was being done to set up international standards for the classification and exchange of information, but the question arose of whether the mechanisms of discussion and decision could work quickly enough to keep ahead of the requirements of the computer age. As an example of the time scale on which firm guidance would be desirable, the British Meteorological Office was to acquire an IBM 195 computer which was about one hundred times more powerful than the one at present in use, and would be one of the most powerful in Europe. This was due to become operational by October 1971 and by that time decisions had to be taken on the cataloguing of data, which, if possible, would have to be in line with thinking elsewhere. However, decisions had to be reached even if intentions elsewhere were unknown, and once these decisions were embodied in computer programs they may be hard to modify or reverse.

The conference ‘The Digital Information Revolution’ was held in Westmister, London on 16–17 November 1994. It was arranged by FEI (Federation of the Electronics Industry); EURIM, an association of politicians and businessmen; and Syntegra, the systems integration division of BT. The conference was opened by the Duke of Kent and speakers were drawn from peers, MPs, general purpose dignitaries, and senior members of the electronics and tetecoms industries. Out of the many speakers, those named below talked about the particular aspects selected for discussion in this article. It was concluded that there was no doubt that a global superhighway would arrive, but speculation about when that might be and bow to define ‘arrival’ were avoided.

The terms ‘hypermedia’ and ‘multimedia’ have elastic defini‐tions. ‘Multimedia’ is sometimes used to describe single media systems which embody two kinds of information — text and graphics. In this article ‘multimedia’ will be used to refer to systems combining information presentation from several quite different media.

My first reaction to the word ‘citizen’ is an image of masses of people storming the Bastille. Apparently this image is not all that absurd since the new Collins dictionary says that the word is derived from the old French ‘Citeien’. Collins goes on to define Citizen in several ways. For the purposes of this paper I choose ‘A native or inhabitant of any place’.

The desirability of electronic document delivery systems has been argued for years and the reasons for the slow progress of the idea are discussed. An explanation of the technical background is provided followed by some examples of electronic means of information distribution such as facsimile and disc‐based systems. Some experimental projects are described and the article concludes with a description of document image processing systems used for business purposes which have a number of features in common with delivery systems.

Work is described on patent citation networks, a novel technique for displaying the history of technological subjects and their key turning points. The method accurately identifies the key patents in a subject field, and if a subject docs not have a definite starting point, this is reflected in the patent network. The networks are less satisfactory if the key patent took a long time to appear in print. Subjects studied were: semi‐synthetic penicillins, tobacco substitutes, electrophotography, Ziegler‐Natta catalysis, and hovercraft. Possible uses of the technique are examined.